On Friday, Sept. 10, small-batch artisan coffee roasting business, café and restaurant FoJo Beans opened two locations at Hamilton College. FoJo Beans North is located in the Taylor Science Center (SCCT) atrium, and FoJo Beans South is located below McEwen Dining Hall.
Co-founders and owners Dan Foust and Dan Joseph started FoJo Beans in Hamilton, New York in 2012. However, their coffee journey started long before the birth of FoJo Beans.
“When we first met, one of Dan [Joseph]’s first questions to me was “who’s your coffee roaster?”… as that was something that was really important to him,” said Foust.
Interested in learning more about beans and roasting, Joseph found Coda Coffee Company, a roaster based in Denver, Colorado. Coda Coffee gave the Dans a tour of their facility and informally taught them about the ins and outs of all things coffee.
“We ended up becoming really good friends with them, and were on their friends and family list,” said Foust.
When the Dans initially moved to Upstate New York, they could not find a local coffee roaster that they really enjoyed, so they ordered Coda Coffee until they found someone who was selling a coffee roaster. After this purchase, the Dans flew the Coda Coffee owners out to teach them how to roast. The Dans first sold their coffee at the Hamilton, New York Farmer’s Market after receiving positive feedback on their product.
“This is truly a business that, like the American Dream, started in our garage with a roaster that could only roast five pounds of beans at a time. We have just kept growing from there,” said Foust.
Fojo Beans’ flagship store is located in Hamilton, New York, and they have satellite locations at Colgate University and now Hamilton College.
The Dans initially heard about the College through word of mouth. Prospective students touring schools in Upstate New York would visit Fojo Beans’ flagship store and talk about visiting Hamilton with Fojo employees. When the College was looking for a new business partner after the departure of Opus, they reached out to Fojo Beans to see if they would be interested in putting in a bid for the contract.
“I found the bidding process to go very smoothly. [The College] gave us parameters for what they were looking for… we were so pleased to find out that we were one of two finalists. After this, we were invited to do a pop-up on-campus over the summer. We were so excited when we heard that we had been voted by pop-up visitors to win the bid,” said Foust.
The arrival of FoJo Beans follows the closing of Café Opus. Opus co-managers Larry Bender and Sarah Goldstein co-founded Opus 1 in 1995 (previously located below McEwen), and Opus 2 in 2005 (previously located in the SCCT atrium). After 26 years of operation, Bender and Goldstein closed the business and retired at the end of the 2020–2021 academic year.
FoJo Beans prepared for its grand opening in multiple ways. First, the Dans and FoJo Beans Student Manager Kristina Passafiume set up the cafés by cleaning the spaces, getting new equipment purchased and setting up the store. They also trained FoJo’s student employees on Saturday, Sept. 4.
“The students are phenomenal. We have such a great team. They have been a dream to work for and… once everyone gets their feet wet and knows exactly what they’re doing, I have no doubt that they’ll be able to take this over and run it by themselves, even without me,” said Foust.
FoJo student workers also have a similar sentiment about working with the Dans and Kristina.“It’s been a great experience so far. My favorite part has been meeting new people and learning so much about coffee from the Dans. I am looking forward to Dan’s Coffee College later in the semester,” said FoJo barista Catherine McFarland ’22.
“I’ve loved making drinks and serving my peers and professors. The moment I cherish the most is when I get to chat with customers, especially when they ask for recommendations. It’s like I get to make them a special drink,” said FoJo barista Cherry Zhang ’23.
Foust emphasized that FoJo Beans wants students to feel comfortable providing feedback. For example, the café lowered its prices after students expressed sticker shock. Additionally, if students bring their own mug that is up to 16oz , they can get a 25 cent discount on their purchase. Or, if students purchase a FoJo Beans mug or traveler, they can get a 50 cent discount on their purchase. Foust said this approach is environmentally friendly, can help students save money on FoJo Beans purchases, especially if they visit often, and helps the cafe with procurement issues, as there are currently many shortages in the U.S. economy. For example, there is a nationwide shortage of 16oz plastic cups.
“Between our staff and the student body, I’ve loved meeting the new community that we are a part of… Our goal is to become a foundation in the College community, and that students are really pleased with what we are producing. We are also hoping to introduce more food onto the menu soon,” said Foust.
FoJo North and FoJo South are open Mondays through Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and are closed on Saturdays. Starting on Sept. 19, both locations will be open for Sunday brunch from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.